Some really nice, (mostly) empty journals and notebooks.

I receive emails from Creative Market.com, a graphic design and art studio kind of online place. They send out a weekly email to subscribers that offer a host of links on the aforementioned topics. If you enjoy reading about fonts, logos, and design, that is the place for you.

I have always kept a journal and I've never kept a journal. That is, I love to write and I love notebooks and I accumulate them but I never manage to sustain any kind of ongoing chronicle of writing in them. I just like notebooks for themselves.

The top left journal, the beaded one, is one that I bought at Border's Books one New Year 8 years ago, intent on keeping notes of my life. I love the beads and the black velvet. Most of the book is empty. I think

The one on the top right is a linen covered purchased journal I had intended to keep notes of the thoughts about my town, 20 years ago. I used about 10 pages then I ran out of thoughts. But I liked the feel of the linen and the sturdiness of the journal when handling it.

Then an office product and service store named Kinko's started offering binding services. I put together a little journal with a binding on the top and used that one to keep track of my health. I took some notes about drinking water and miles walked but then as usual, I stopped. But I had a lot of fun making little journals.

The green one with the white tissue paper over the cover is a dos-a-dos journal I learned to make during my bookbinding phase. The green is paste paper, a hand made painted kind of decorative paper and the binding is a personally stitched. I kept track of my night-time dreams in it. I don't know why, but I felt it was important to keep track of dreams I was having, for a while. I don't know if I could make a dos-a-dos journal now but they sure are fun.

The small leather one with the cool latch is one that I'd bought through Amazon. It has soft, handmade paper inside and the exterior binding is also handmade. I like it. I jot down prayers and answers to prayer in it. But not consistently because I do that on the laptop in my Logos 6 software that has a place to keep track of prayers and answers. So...again, the journal is mostly empty. But I like unclicking the latch.

Here is Creative Market's article on Amazing Sketchbooks, Notebooks and Pads to Try in 2016

In the final quarter of 2015, the search was on to find the most creative, imaginative, original products and experiences of the year. And there were a lot to choose from. From eye-catching graphic tees to super-inspiring podcasts, the inaugural Creative Market Awards showcased the best in design, technology, and innovation.
In the Best Sketchbook for Designers category, the competition was fierce, with an assortment of chunky pads and brilliant books that are sure to spark design ideas and stimulate thoughts. In a tech-savvy world, where email and SMS have replaced pen and paper, these top sketchbooks are the ultimate companion for any designer who needs an outlet to draw, doodle or draft concepts.

At least my hoarding tendencies are with an item that's pretty small!